1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sewing accessories, and in particular to new embroidery hoops especially adapted for use with a sewing machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The design of existing embroidery hoops has reflected the fact that until recently, almost all handicraft embroidery sewing has been done manually. Generally the work piece is held by a pair of concentric, closely fitting hoops, with the work piece overlying the inner hoop and clamped along its margin between the inner and outer hoops. Perhaps the simplest type of known embroidery hoops consist of two fixed diameter hoops adapted to fit one within the other. The inner hoop is formed with an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the outer hoop to enable the hoops to clamp the work therebetween. However, with this form of hoops, and because the diameter of neither hoop can be adjusted, thin materials cannot be maintained taut while thick materials cannot fit between the two hoops.
In another type of hoop pair designed for manual embroidery stitching, the inner hoop is of a fixed diameter while the outer hoop is slit to permit it to expand and contract. Typically, a circumferentially acting, screw type fastener interconnects the end portions of the outer hoop to loosen and tighten the outer hoop over the inner hoop. Although this particular type of construction enables the embroidery hoops to accommodate varying thicknesses of materials, when the connecting screw is tightened, the fabric work piece is often distorted and thus not held uniformly taut by the hoops. An example of embroidery hoops of this type is disclosed by Beauregard, U.S. Pat. No. 1,072,687.
Another type of adjustable embroidery hoops utilizes a fixed diameter inner hoop and a plurality of outer hoop segments which are each adapted to move radially toward and away from the inner diameter hoop to clamp a work piece therebetween. Each of the outer diameter hoop segments is carried by a radially disposed thumb screw which seats within an outer circular ring which encircles the hoop segments. Because the thumb screws act in the radial direction rather than circumferentially, the fabric clamped between the two hoops may be unequally gripped thus causing the fabric to slip or shift during sewing. Furthermore, adjustment of the thumb screws, which are situated under a wide circumferential flange, extending radially outwardly from the outer circular ring, is awkward and extreme care must be taken to adjust each of the thumb screws so that each outer segment exerts an equal amount of pressure against the fixed inner hoop or else the inner hoop may be overstressed and permanently deformed out of shape rendering it no longer usable. The wide circumferential flange also limits and impedes movement of the hoop if machine embroidery is attempted with such a hoop. An embroidery hoop pair of this type is disclosed by Edwards, U.S. Pat. No. 669,915.
The advent of modern sewing machines, with the capability of sewing many different types of stitches in addition to the standard straight stitch, has greatly increased the desirability of using sewing machines to do embroidery work. Newer sewing machines are not only capable of producing a uniform, high quality stitch, but also are capable of sewing many times faster than possible by hand. However, all of the different types of prior hoops discussed above have characteristics limiting their utility if used for embroidery work on a sewing machine. No provision is made in any of the hoops to facilitate sliding them and the work between the machine bed and the foot or needle of the machine. Also, none of the earlier described types of hoops include any provision to enable the user to grip them so that they can be quickly, conveniently and continuously maneuvered to take advantage of the high speed at which a machine sews. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide embroidery hoops especially adapted in these respects for use in conjunction with a modern sewing machine.